Kenyan families press for justice two years after protest deaths
Relatives of people killed or missing after Kenya’s 2024 anti-tax protests say compensation cannot replace prosecutions.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
4 min read
Families of Kenyans killed or disappeared after youth-led anti-tax protests in 2024 marched in Nairobi on Tuesday, pressing for prosecutions and police reform two years after demonstrators breached Parliament grounds. The anniversary has renewed scrutiny of police accountability, with oversight officials saying most death investigations have yet to reach court.
The protests began over Kenya’s Finance Bill and spread across the country, Al Jazeera reported. Rights groups and official tallies cited by the broadcaster say people were killed during the unrest, while others remain missing.
Families seek answers
James Otieno, who told Al Jazeera he is the father of Denzel Omondi, said the anniversary brings back grief and that he avoids public discussion of the case. Omondi, 23, disappeared days after joining the #OccupyParliament protests, according to his family.
His relatives told Al Jazeera that police arrested him at a Nairobi home where he was staying with cousins after he posted a video showing protesters inside Parliament. Otieno said no one has been held responsible for his son’s death and that the family is waiting for investigators to act.
Denzel was among 62 people killed in the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, according to official and rights group figures cited in inquiries into the unrest. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority said only three of those deaths have resulted in court cases.
In a June 22 statement, IPOA said three cases were before court, three had gone to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for review, one was under internal legal review, nine had been closed after internal inquiries or prosecutorial directions, and 46 remained under investigation.
IPOA Vice Chairperson Anne Wanjiku Mwangi told The Star that cases depend on evidence standards and review by prosecutors. She said some files may be closed if they fail to meet legal thresholds, while others need more investigative work.
Missing cases remain unresolved
Susan Wangari Wanjohi told Al Jazeera she has spent two years looking for her son, Emmanuel Kamau Mukuria. Mukuria, who was 24, disappeared on June 25, 2024 after being arrested at Imenti House in Nairobi’s central business district, according to his mother.
Wanjohi said her son had gone out to seek casual work as a tout and that friends later told her they saw police arrest him. She told Al Jazeera she has visited prisons across Kenya in search of him and believes he is alive somewhere in state custody.
Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2026 said at least 41 people linked to Kenya’s protests remain missing, including 26 from 2024 and 15 from 2025. Al Jazeera reported that concern over enforced disappearances has grown after reported abductions in Nairobi’s Mathare area, while authorities have warned that anniversary marches could turn violent.
Compensation draws criticism
The government has opened a compensation programme for victims of human rights violations connected to protests and demonstrations from 2013 through 2025. Makau Mutua, chair of the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations, said in a Tuesday statement that participation is voluntary and limited to people who consent.
The first phase covers 348 verified victims and allocates $3.46 million, according to the panel. Families of 115 people killed are due to receive $23,148 each, while 24 victims classified as severely injured are to receive $7,730 each and 137 moderately injured victims $3,865 each.
The panel said $23,148 has been allocated to 60 people with minor injuries, $61,728 to eight victims of sexual offences, and $1,545 to four people classified under economic loss. Some affected families told Al Jazeera that money does not answer their demand for accountability.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said it recorded at least 63 deaths, 610 injuries and 74 enforced disappearances during the 2024 protest period, including 26 people who remain missing. Amnesty International said at least 60 people were killed, citing live fire and other crowd-control tactics.
The Missing Voices Coalition said it documented 104 police killings in 2024 and 125 in 2025, based on cases it attributed to police action. Otieno told Al Jazeera that no amount of compensation could replace his son’s life and said those responsible should be brought to court.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.